﻿133 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also 
  to 
  add, 
  that 
  Dana 
  {Mineralogy, 
  2d 
  ed., 
  p. 
  388,) 
  gives 
  a 
  

   figure 
  of 
  a 
  crystal 
  of 
  chondrodite, 
  drawn 
  from 
  a 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  J. 
  A. 
  Clay, 
  Esq., 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  and 
  obtained 
  in 
  Orange 
  coun- 
  

   ty, 
  New-York. 
  

  

  (Mineralogy 
  of 
  New- 
  York, 
  page 
  286. 
  ) 
  

  

  A 
  fine 
  locality 
  of 
  this 
  mineral 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Fine, 
  

   St. 
  Lawrence 
  county. 
  The 
  crystals, 
  though 
  not 
  perfectly 
  smooth, 
  are 
  

   still 
  well 
  formed, 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  yard 
  in. 
  length 
  ! 
  Emmons' 
  Jour, 
  of 
  

   Agriculture, 
  iii., 
  p. 
  158. 
  

  

  Pyroxene, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  presents 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  forms 
  ; 
  distinct 
  

   names 
  have 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  varieties, 
  and 
  some 
  have 
  even 
  

   been 
  described 
  as 
  distinct 
  species. 
  The 
  researches 
  of 
  mineralogical 
  

   chemists 
  have 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  supposed 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  minerals 
  to 
  one 
  species. 
  Dana 
  has, 
  I 
  think, 
  carried 
  this 
  further 
  

   than 
  any 
  author 
  ; 
  for 
  he 
  not 
  only 
  places 
  under 
  pyroxene, 
  diopside, 
  pyr- 
  

   gom, 
  sahlite, 
  coccolite, 
  jeffersonite, 
  and 
  hedenbergite, 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  con- 
  

   cur, 
  but 
  he 
  also 
  ranges 
  with 
  it 
  diallage 
  and 
  hypersthene 
  ; 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   propriety 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  still 
  have 
  much 
  doubt. 
  If 
  this 
  wide 
  scope 
  is 
  given 
  

   to 
  the 
  mineral 
  in 
  question, 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no. 
  reason 
  why 
  its 
  limits 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  still 
  further 
  extended, 
  and 
  made 
  to 
  embrace 
  many 
  other 
  

   species. 
  

  

  Hudsonite, 
  proposed 
  in 
  the 
  Mineralogy 
  of 
  New- 
  York 
  as 
  a 
  new 
  species, 
  

   (p. 
  405) 
  is 
  thought 
  by 
  Dana 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  pyroxene 
  family, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  

   very 
  near 
  to 
  hedenbergite. 
  It 
  is 
  certainly 
  more 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  

   mineral 
  than 
  to 
  any 
  other, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  large 
  per 
  

   centage 
  of 
  oxide 
  of 
  iron 
  which 
  it 
  contains. 
  The 
  circumstances 
  of 
  its 
  

   being 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  gangue 
  of 
  quartz, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  seperable, 
  

   induced 
  me 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  accidental 
  ingredient. 
  I 
  

   regret 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  obtained 
  any 
  specimens 
  which 
  admit 
  the 
  de- 
  

   termination 
  of 
  its 
  crystalline 
  form, 
  as 
  this 
  would 
  conclusively 
  settle 
  the 
  

   point 
  in 
  dispute. 
  Its 
  cleavages, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  determined, 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  pyroxene. 
  But 
  chemical 
  composition 
  ought 
  also 
  

   to 
  have 
  some 
  weight 
  in 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  specific 
  distinctions. 
  No 
  

   one, 
  however, 
  who 
  has 
  a 
  just 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  interests 
  of 
  science, 
  

   should 
  hesitate 
  to 
  abandon 
  an 
  opinion 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  advanced, 
  when 
  it 
  

   is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  inconsistent 
  with 
  facts 
  subsequently 
  made 
  known. 
  The 
  

   useless 
  multiplication 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  arbitrary 
  names 
  

   in 
  natural 
  history, 
  is 
  especially 
  to 
  be 
  avoided. 
  

  

  